Dear Alexander, Id call you Lee, but according to everything Ive read since you took your own

life on February 11, 2010, only your closest friends and colleagues called you that. I am neither; just one of those millions of fans around the world who thought you were one of the handful of genuinely inspired designers. Its been one year since you left us for another, perhaps less stressful world. How is it in heaven? Is it, like they always say, white and colourful and calm with happy people all around? Are your clothes de rigueur there too? Because here they still are. Just hours after the news of your death HAD brokeN, your scull scarf sold out. And everyone wanted something from Platos Atlantis, that last collection you showed in Paris, with the armadillos and the snake print dresses. You left everyone in astonishment; well give you that. But you also left everyone sad and wondering. Why would someone as successful as you, with a new collection coming up in a month in Paris, commit suicide? And is committing suicide a sign that one is strong or weak? Because taking your own life needs a damn strong will, determination and, most importantly, lack of fear. But not being able to use all that against your problems and sorrows in life well, that shows weakness. Anyway, you know better. The entire fashion world missed you, and still misses you. In your funeral on February 25, your family and closest friends came to pay their respects. You should have seen it, they were all dressed up; Daphne Guinness was wearing a long cape from your 2002 collection. Naomi Campbell also wore one of your dresses, but all the fashion that paraded outside St Pauls Cathedral in Knightsbridge could not mask the collective sorrow. Later this year, on September 20, a memorial service for your friends, family and supporters was held to commemorate you and your work, again at Saint Pauls Cathedral. Everyone attended, from Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Moss to Anna Wintour and Rihanna. From what

we who werent there could understand from the images released in the press, the service was like a fashion show. Most of the attendees wore McQueen while others showed flashes of tartan, which you loved so much. As your right hand people declared, you had only completed 80% of the collection you were scheduled to show in March 2010 in Paris. Dont worry, though, everything went great. You had mentioned yourself that you had a very good fashion team and they managed to complete the SIXTEEN pieces by the time of the show, which was mesmerizing. His vision of Gothic glory, with a world bathed in religious symbolism, was translated not just with immense subtlety and beauty but also with the urgent futurism that was the essence of his spirit, Suzy Menkes wrote. In her review for style.com, Sarah Mower wrote that your final collection had a poetic, medieval beauty that dealt with religious iconography while recapturing memories of his own past collections. By the way, Mower stopped working on style.com, but it is still good, still fashion heaven for us mortals. Do visit it sometime. THE Truth is, what your team showed to a few editors the day of your show was a presentation of Angels and Demons in couture form. All that religious, medieval inspiration portrayed in these pieces had everyone thinking that you once again left your mark, even without physically being there, and even without the surreal show presentation that made all your shows unique. I bet you were very happy when you found out that your company would go on. As immensely difficult as it may have sounded in the beginning without you, we were happy too. Gucci Groups Francois-Henri Pinault said, only days after the tragic news, that this would be the best tribute to you since the company has so much potential. He also said that you were highly sensitive and unique, ALTHOUGH this was obvious anyway, even to those who just wore you but didnt really know you. As you understand, everyone wondered who would continue your creative legacy. Our hearts went out for that

person even if we didnt know yet who it would be. Filling Alexander McQueens shoes? This would be a fun thing to watch. Immediately, rumoUrs began to circulate, including one that stated Gareth Pugh would be your successor. You remember Gareth Pugh long fringe, skinny legs, crazy aesthetic? But then, on May 27, Gucci Group appointed your right-hand woman, Sarah Burton, as creative director of Alexander McQueen the label. I know what youre thinking. There could never have been a better successor than an insider, someone who was there every step of the way, in all of the collections. However, not everyone agreed from the OUTSET that McQueen should continue producing clothes and shows. Some said that for the sake of the arts, the label should stop there. Others WERE OF THE OPINION that, for the sake of fashion, it should go on. There was a view that, above all, you were an artist, and an artist cannot be replaced. I must admit I was with the latter. Its just, what if the new designer wasnt as good, as crafty, as dedicated, as bold and so on? The label would die in the most unfair way. There was this other thought, that the label should stop for a few years and then start again, with a new take on things. Maybe, from a point of view, discontinuing the house would be better. Labelling an item Alexander McQueen would be disgraceful if the genius of the designer WERE not there to sign it. You were an artist, not a brand. Perhaps all these people who worshipPed your vision wouldnt care to purchase anything with just your name plastered on it. But thats all opinions, and you know what they say, everybodys ENTITLED TO ONE. The opinion that valued most, however, was your chief investor, PPRs Gucci Group. Now that its only you and me talking, we have to mention the commercial aspect here. Things are not that innocent, especially when the McQueen business has the potential to be so very lucrative for PPR. We know it wouldnt be that smart, profit-wise for the label to be discontinued, so art and fashion play a less important role in the matter. You know these things better than I do.

Anyway, Sarah Burton put an end to this hot potato game. We know that she was your protge; after all she was working next to you even before her graduation from Central Saint Martins. She also has the right attitude. I intend to stay true to his legacy, she said adding, I dont want to be Lee. And thats how she won us over. Or, is it? She did that with her spring-summer show in Paris last September. It was undoubtedly the most anticipated show of the season, and you should be very proud of her, she did wonderfully. And she did stay true to your legacy because what we saw was pure McQueen. Maybe with a twist of light, since Burton herself had said that she was trained in the darkness, but she is a bit lighter. After all, its a woman were talking about. She revisited some of your classic designs, like the tailcoat, the exaggerated hips, the structured dresses, the appliqus butterflies. There was even a sign of the bumster. And yes, she did bring a softer vision to the house. Everything was softer and airier though edgy and structured. Its her gender that is her greatest asset and point of difference, wrote Tim Blanks in his review for style.com. Gone was the dramatic make-up and as for the hair, it was uncomplicated, long and braided. Everything was more relaxed, without lacking the craftsmanship that always followed your collections. The only thing that wasnt there was the spectacular show, but Burton mentioned that this was your territory. In that way I cant try and pretend to be Lee. Now that she proved to everyone that she is the ideal guardian angel of the brand, its time for her to show that she can impress all your followers with multiple collections. It wont be that difficult, however, because she has said that there are yet many ideas to explore and as you can see from up there, she must really enjoy what she does, almost as much as you did. In a nutshell, thats pretty much what you missed, concerning your label. Anything else worth knowing? Well, the battle between bloggers and journalists has calmed down a little. They all mind their own business now, so the

whole brawl has passed, at least for the moment. Now photobloggers are the hottest thing. They provide inspiration and opinion without writing a word, and fashion people, including stylists and journalists, seem to love them. Oh, and Tom Ford is back in business. In womenswear business, I mean. After his six-year long pause, he made his debut last September, but with a few rules. His new creations would be super-secret, which meant, of course, that photographers, bloggers and tweeters were not welcome. Only fashion editors could be there as long as they were silent about his line, which would be revealed only when the clothes were ready to hit the stores. He is planning on following that plan for his future collections too, as he believes that, above all, its the customer that comes first and not the fashion system. To each his own, I guess, I think its fun that opinions differ on matters like this. Ask anyone you want; theyd tell you that you didnt miss anything else special up until now. It was a dull and depressing year for most people. It wasnt just the RECESSION that still whips some European countries and has left hundreds of people without A job or money. The atmosphere of that year was GLOOMY. Thats why very few people have nice things to say about 2010. Most of us pretend it didnt even happen, everyone for their own reasons. That, of course, isnt the case for Prince William and Kate Middleton who announced their engagement in November (although it was a sad moment for all William fans out there). The couple are to marry ON April 29, giving BRITONS a new princess to gossip about. Of course, the main entertainment in this world is still Lady Gaga, just the way you left it. She keeps shocking, provoking and singing. At the MTV Video Music Awards last year, she wore a dress made in its entirety from raw meat. She explained later that she wore it because to her it had many interpretations. If we dont stand for what we believe in and if we dont fight for our rights, pretty soon we are going to have as much right as the meat in our

bones. And I am not a piece of meat. Yes, thats Lady Gaga and you know as well as we do that the world would be a tad boring without her. Kind of what its like without you. I guess thats all for now. Maybe in a year Ill write to you again and let you know how things are going, in case nobody else has FILLED YOU IN. Who knows, I might have good news or bad, after all you never know what to wait, and thats the fun of it. Dont you miss it? I am not going to say that I will wait eagerly for your reply, that would scare me, honestly. But if I ever were to have that reply from you, I would have one question: what happens after? Does the show go on? Because here, thankfully, it does. And youre still a part of it. Lots of love and respect, Dido